From the left and the right, Michigan lawmakers Justin Amash and Carl Levin oppose bill to keep government operating

Count two members of Congress from Michigan among those opposed to a temporary resolution that keeps the government operating after Friday.

In a floor speech today, U.S. Sen. Carl Levin said he voted no on the continuing resolution because House Republicans sought spending cuts without offering to close tax loopholes.

In voting against the resolution, Levin, a liberal Democrat from Southfield, joined U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, R-Cascade Township, perhaps the most conservative member of Michigan’s House delegation.

The resolution passed in the House Tuesday by a vote of 335-91. Amash was one of six Republicans to vote no on the two-week extension. The others were Reps. Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota, Ron Paul and Louie Gohmert of Texas, Walter Jones of North Carolina and Steve King of Iowa.

Grand Rapids Press File PhotoRep. Justin Amash

Amash said he wanted to see more cuts than the $4 billion included in the resolution.

As momentum built for Tuesday’s vote, Amash said he still favored the broader cuts by House Republicans that called for $60 billion in cuts this year.

“None of these cuts deal with entitlements,” he said Monday. “From the Republican side, we need to take a close look at the defense budget,”

Amash observed that he was also one of only six House GOP members to favor cutting pentagon spending to 2008 levels. “The biggest threat to national security is our debt,” Amash said.

While opposed for completely different reasons, Levin also said misguided budget priorities threaten national security.

“We will also cut tens of millions of dollars from energy research projects at the very moment our nation faces the urgent task of liberating ourselves from dependence on foreign oil,” he said in his floor statement.

Specifics Levin pointed to as reasons for his opposition included cuts to highway and bridge funding, Army Corps of Engineers investigations and the lack of efforts to shift the tax burden to the wealthy.

“The price its supporters want to exact for that two-week respite is our agreement to major cuts in spending, without any attempt to address our deficit by closing tax loopholes,” Levin said in his floor statement.

The Senate adopted the resolution 91-9, and President Barack Obama is expected to sign it soon.

“Living with the threat of a shutdown every few weeks is not responsible, and it puts our economic progress in jeopardy,” the president said today.